MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 19, 2009 - Ducks Unlimited received a check for $285,200 from the National Shooting Sports Foundation at the 74th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference today in Arlington, Va. The money will go directly towards the Rescue the Duck Factory campaign to conserve critical waterfowl breeding habitat in the Prairie Pothole Region, helping to ensure the future of waterfowl hunting and waterfowl populations in North America.

"Historically, sportsmen and women have always been the leaders in conservation and this is no different," said Don Young, DU executive-vice president. "NSSF and DU are partnering to make a difference in the future of waterfowl populations and to preserve our waterfowl hunting heritage. This funding from NSSF will benefit all sportsmen and future generations of waterfowl hunters."

The Rescue the Duck Factory campaign began in September 2008 with an all out effort to secure funding for permanent easements in the U.S. prairies. More than 600 landowners are prepared to place native grasslands into these easements and DU is diligently working to provide funding for the campaign which could conserve more than 300,000 acres of critical waterfowl breeding habitat.

"The National Shooting Sports Foundation recognizes the critical need to save these important breeding grounds for the future of waterfowl and the sporting tradition they make possible," said Steve Sanetti, president of NSSF. "On behalf of the shooting sports industry, NSSF is proud to support the ‘Rescue the Duck Factory' campaign and encourages all individuals and organizations interested in ensuring abundant waterfowl populations for the future to lend their support to this Ducks Unlimited initiative."

With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with more than 12 million acres conserved. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands – nature's most productive ecosystem – and continues to lose more than 80,000 acres of wetlands important to waterfowl each year.